While this three-step process is the ideal process of applied math, reality is more complicated. Once I reach the second step where I want the solution of the math problem, very often, if not most of ...

How can you have a proof without proving anything? Mathematicians found a way and, in the process, came to blows over it – ...

Imagine you are a mountaineer. Nothing excites you more than testing your skill, strength and resilience against some of the most extreme environments on the planet, and now you've decided to take on ...

Math classrooms shifted over time to the discovery model. Not suddenly, and not without good intentions. There was a ...

The designers for Monte Vista Elementary School’s proposed outdoor classroom had some key questions to answer: What materials could they use while staying under the district’s $10,000 budget? How much ...

We've all been there: staring at a math test with a problem that seems impossible to solve. What if finding the solution to a problem took almost a century? For mathematicians who dabble in Ramsey ...

Mathematicians excel at handling complexity and uncertainty. Mathematical reasoning strategies aren't just useful for dilemmas involving numbers. We can apply math mindsets to improve our approach to ...

Physicist Richard Feynman turned a lunch dilemma into a math problem. Researchers finally cracked his notes and found people approximate his solution on their own.

The result is correct but challenges core norms of mathematics: checking proofs, crediting ideas and keeping research open to everyone.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Anisha Sircar is a journalist covering tech, finance and society. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This voice ...